Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, conventionally have been sold in packages. Typically, each full package contains about 20 cigarettes. Cigarettes have been packaged in containers known as so-called “soft packs.” See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,422 to Tripodi; U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,017 to Sprinkel, Jr., et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,729 to Wolfe, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Cigarettes also have been packaged in containers known as so-called “hard packs” or “crush proof boxes.” See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,581 to Fox et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,066 to Niepmann; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,734 to Allen et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Tobacco products typically are provided in individual packages. In certain circumstances, however, two or more packages of tobacco products can be combined, for example, in paperboard sleeves, such as for sales, marketing, and promotional purposes. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,623 to Clemens; U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,768 to Gatto; U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,010 to Rogers, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,353 to Focke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,261 to Kutchin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,140 to Burrows et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,901 to Milliner; U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,986 to Cobler; U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,018 to Keaveney; U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,429 to Dennen; U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,369 to Amos; U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,827 to Stringfield; U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,219 to Chacko et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,763 to Draghetti; U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,764 to Focke; U.S. Pat. No. 8,006,835 to Moore et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,697 to Chatelain et al.; U.S. Pat. No. D509,623 to Mitten; U.S. Pat. No. D523,171 to Mitten et al.; U.S. Pat. No. D523,990 to Mitten et al.; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2005/0023158 to Mitten et al.; 2005/0150786 to Mitten et al.; 2005/0155878 to Pham; and 2006/0091026 to Mitten et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the types of packaging configurations used for cigarettes sold in Japan under the tradename “Duo Virginia Slims.”
It would be desirable to provide a packaging configuration that allows for the combination of packages of two or more items, particularly packages of two or more different tobacco items, such as a package of cigarettes and a package of a smokeless tobacco product.